I don't know what winter was like where you live, but here in NW Missouri we had one of the coldest winters in recent memory. It's entirely normal to have a few days, a handful at the most, below 0 degrees, but I lost count of how many nights it was below 0 this year - sometimes several nights in a row. I believe it was three weeks ago our high temp was 8 above. That's pretty cold for February around these parts. I know, all you guys from MN, ND and MI are crying in your beer feeling sorry for me, but that's OK, I'll thaw out this July when it's 102. All this has me thinking about just one thing -- IT'S TIME FOR ICE OUT CONTEST VIII.

Looking back over my meticulous records, ice out has been declared on 4/29/07, 5/4/08, 5/4/09 and last year's comparatively early ice out of 4/18/10. When will ice go out in 2011? If winter at Witch Bay was as cold relative to here in NW Missouri, it may not go out in time for season open. Let's pray that doesn't happen.

So, let's try to shake off some of those winter blues and start thinking about our time on the beautiful waters of Witch Bay. Study the stars, read the tea leaves, do whatever you do to divine the heavens and make your guess in the ICE OUT CONTEST. It's just this easy: submit one and only one guess of the date and time of day that Gail or her designated ice watcher will declare that the Bay is ice free. The one guess that is the nearest to the declared day and time of day will win. As usual, the decision of the impartial judges are absolutely and unquestionably final. Entries must be submitted by midnight on Saturday, April 2, as timed by this web page. For a thread that receives hundreds of views, fewer than a dozen entries are usually made. Don't let the log-in process deter you from entering the contest and claiming your place among the legends of Witch Bay.